Every month in OTW Signal, we take a look at stories that connect to the OTW’s mission and projects, including issues related to legal matters, technology, academia, fannish history and preservation issues of fandom, fan culture, and transformative works.

In the News

A new short documentary from filmmaker Andrew Coons shines a light on Marquette University’s Tolkien Fandom Oral History Collection.

The collection is curated by archivist Dr. William Fliss, who set himself the goal of preserving the voices of 6,000 Tolkien fans—one for each of the Riders of Rohan that Théoden mustered and led to the aid of Gondor.

Fans are given three minutes to speak about Tolkien and what his stories and the world of The Lord of the Rings have meant to them. Fliss hopes that these preserved voices will one day serve as a living archive for future generations.

“It’s important that these voices be preserved,” he says. “Even generations within families will be able to hear what their grandparents thought about Tolkien and connect with them at that point in their lives.”

The collection is still open to contributions. If you are a Tolkien fan, you can schedule an interview to take part. You do not need to use your real name—or include a name at all—to participate.

At the University of Utah, students are turning their attention to representation in fan spaces. In “How Conventions Reproduce Misogyny and Orientalism,” writers for The Daily Utah Chronicle argue that conventions like FanX are “simultaneously inclusive and celebratory, while also reproducing misogyny, fetishization and cultural commodification.”

The authors highlight how fan conventions often feature depictions of characters with exaggerated features or overtly sexualized clothing, which can reinforce narrow and harmful ideas about gender and appearance.

Within fan culture, there must be both the ability for women to dress in ways that help them feel empowered and accountability for decisions furthering larger issues for Asian stereotypes and minors.

They also point to what they call a broader “Western fascination” with Japanese culture—a deeper issue within fandom where Japanese media and imagery are frequently commodified or stripped of context and turned into an aesthetic rather than recognized as part of a living culture with real people and traditions behind it.

Some fans disagree, stating they are being respectful to the culture they’re representing.

“I personally don’t agree with that. As you can see, a lot of us here are pretty diverse. We’re just appreciating that Asian culture and bringing it somewhere where people don’t have access to the cafes in Japan … We make sure to respect the culture we’re representing.”

The authors call for more accountability and awareness among fans, creators and convention organizers so that fandom events can continue to be a safe and inclusive space for engaging with media and other fans.

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